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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

What is wrong with carrying newborn out of hospital ?

109 replies

mumfor1sttime · 17/07/2005 21:35

Sorry for weird question - but wondered if the hospital you had your baby were as weird as mine. Was told we could only leave the hospital with our newborn in a car seat. The car seat we have is age 0-3yrs with no handle so didnt think there was any point in using it, so my dh carried ds out of maternity ward.

A grumpy and rude midwife had a go at us and said she would take ds down stairs for us in his crib! (those glass container things)so had the embarrasment of her escorting us to car.

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Chuffed · 18/07/2005 10:24

We carried dd home in our arms a 5min walk from the hospital. We bundled her up in a blanket, dh carried her out of the ward after we said all our goodbyes and we walked out. No escort.
While in hospital we were allowed to carry our babies arounda as some of the mothers paced the hallways trying to get their little ones to settle. We also were expected to carry the baby down to see the pediatrician at the end of the ward when it was your turn to see him.
Isn't it strange all the differences.

Lonelymum · 18/07/2005 10:28

The hospital I had ds1 and ds2 in were very particular: they carried the baby to the door for you and accompanied you to the car! But they did it nicely. I think it was their little leaving ceremony. Actually, now that I think of it, they only did it for ds1. When I had ds2, I was the only person on the unit (!) and we had to hang around a bit to wait for someone to be around so we could say goodbye and thank you to them!

And yes, they insisted on a car seat, but then the hospital was on the edge of town and I imagine everyone went home in a car.

chipmonkey · 18/07/2005 11:34

God be with the days that you walked out with your baby and were driven home with baby on your lap IN THE FRONT SEAT!! Didn't princess Diana do that with William?

RTKangaMummy · 18/07/2005 12:57

All the royals did that then

It was one thing that I get very angry about that on TV etc royalty and "stars" hardly ever wear seatbelts or put their children in car seats.

babyonboard · 18/07/2005 16:52

when my dp was born..23 years ago admittedly and in eastern europe, the nurse helped his mum set up a cradle shaped atck of blankets on the back seat..they told her that was better than her holding him!!!!!!!?
as soon as they left she grabbed him of course, but then from 6 months onwrads he was ferried around on blankets in the back
though i must say, when i went there it seems like mot's and seatbelts arent a consideration at all..
we plan to get a car seat to tske soon to be ds from the hospital, even though we don't have, or plan to get, a car..i guess its neccesary, and will be handy when people visit.

kgc · 18/07/2005 20:39

Hi mumfor1sttime, we had this at our hospital, and their policy is baby in a car seat or you do not pass go.........and to make matters worse even when you have baby in the car seat they escort you right out to your car!!!!

starlover · 18/07/2005 21:51

it is in case you drop the baby!

the hospital are liable if a baby gets injured on their property, and they just want to make sure that no accidents happen.

at the hospital i gave birth in they had the same rule.
you were also not supposed to hold the baby in bed unless you had someone with you!

LilMissy · 19/07/2005 04:03

Not read the whole thread but I thought and was told the midwife had to carry the baby to the front of the hospital so it was clear the baby hadn't been snatched. (Would hazard a guess that the carseat might serve this purpose too as it's unlikely an abuductor would have a carseat with them ) Also the health and safety aspect will feature heavily too.

Carla

CarolinaMoon · 19/07/2005 08:58

We were given a letter to show the security guards to prove we hadn't abducted ds. We sneaked out the side entrance though, no one stopped us

Original poster

mumfor1sttime · 19/07/2005 11:02

Thanks for everyones views! I can see that it is ideal for safety etc, but my ward had secure doors anyway. Also couldnt the midwife drop the baby if carrying it?(my ds was in glass bowl tho) I suppose I just didnt like her moody attitude she was annoying!! She annoyed me the whole time I was in hospital.

OP posts:

starlover · 19/07/2005 11:05

a baby would be safer in a car seat if dropped. and also (i think) less likely to be dropped/bumped into etc...

it may be annoying... but the midwives are only doing their job. Imagine how you would have felt if you had carried your baby down and someone had knocked into you and you dropped him, or he got hurt

RedZuleika · 19/07/2005 14:18

It's a bit jobsworth though. Great to put a baby in a car seat if you're actually taking it home in the car - but it's a bit intrusive to say that new parents, who are going to be responsible for this life for x years, can't walk out with it in their arms. What if you don't have a car and can't afford to spend money on a car seat any time soon? Or you're walking home because you live round the corner?

And as for not being able to hold the baby in bed unless you're chaperoned... that's just ridiculous in my opinion. What about bonding? And do you have to put off breastfeeding when the child is hungry until someone is around to make sure no one sustains injury...??

starlover · 19/07/2005 14:19

if you're going home on public transport then they will take the baby down in the cot for you.

i really don't see ythe problem with this

they're looking after you and your baby! why is that wrong?

starlover · 19/07/2005 14:20

and i am sure there are people who do, but how many people do you actually think walk or take a bus home after having a baby??? i bet it isn't very many

RedZuleika · 19/07/2005 14:56

Well there's at least one person who's posted here who has. And I've visited someone in hospital who just walked down the road to the their home on departure, with new baby.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong in looking after new parents and baby - if that is what they want. Checking that people have a car seat installed in a car is not unreasonable (although after the recent Which? survey, they'd be better off checking people have a car seat which can survive a crash at 40mph - and it's installed properly) but impinging upon people's activities because it's their policy is not reasonable. If a woman is just recovering from the birth and she still has drugs in her system which might make her whoozy, supervising her holding the baby is sensible. If there's a blanket declaration issued that you need supervision to hold your baby in bed, that is not sensible, in my opinion.

starlover · 19/07/2005 14:59

well i never said i agreed with the bit about being supervised in bed.

i was just wondering why, when hospitals have policies in place to keep you safe... carrying baby out in a car seat or crib... why people make a fuss about it.

if anything happened to the baby and it was being carried out it'd be the hospital that got the blame!

starlover · 19/07/2005 15:00

and if you had read my post properly i did say

"there are people who do" (walk home from hosp that is)... but that there aren't very many

oliveoil · 19/07/2005 15:03

Not read all these but when I had both dd1 and 2 I had to wheel them around in their glass cot things. I thought it was cobblers at first until I got all lightheaded and nearly fell over.

They are only following guidelines on the car seat front I think.

dinosaur · 19/07/2005 15:05

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

RedZuleika · 19/07/2005 15:05

Thanks for the tip to read your post 'properly'. As it happens, I was replying to your comment that not many did. I was making the point that out of a small sample group here, one person has done so. Perhaps you'd like to do the sums on that?

As far as I've read, you didn't say you didn't agree with being supervised in bed - although my comments were not intended for your eyes alone.

Perhaps people object because they like the free will to determine what is safe and unsafe for themselves?

oliveoil · 19/07/2005 15:14

Now now please no squabling.

Dino - did you not feel all wobbly legged walking home?

matthewsmummy · 19/07/2005 15:20

my hospital was the same, i was not allowed to carry him around he always had to be in the crib thing. and we were not allowed to take him with us when we registered his birth we had to leave him in the mw's room till we got back (which i wasn't happy about doing)

the worse thing is they don't tell you about this beforehand to save you the embrassement, they just wait till you do it then talk to you like your nothing and make you feel really stupid. we were walking out the door of the unit with ds to go and get him registered and two rude mw's came rushing over saying ' where do you think your going no, no you can't take them with you, leave him here and go by yourselves'
stupid bitches

my hospital said that they had to be in the crib because if you were walking around and there was an emergancy or something with people rushing around corners then they could get knocked out your hands etc.

but i think its your baby not theirs and if you want to walk around holding them then its up to you not them.

and like other people have said on here, what are you surposed do to if your walking home or getting a taxi or bus etc. i think its just stupid.

oliveoil · 19/07/2005 15:22

at calling midwifes stupid bitches. They don't do it to cause you trouble IT'S TO PROTECT THE BABY. I think they might know a bit more about after care then us mums tbh, they do it day in day out all the time.

RedZuleika · 19/07/2005 15:25

That may be true - but it isn't their place to tell you to leave your newborn child with strangers, whether registering his / her birth or something else. I wouldn't consider that to be very protective on my part.

oliveoil · 19/07/2005 15:31

Well they are not strictly stangers if midwifes on duty at the hospital imo.

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